Alabama

Demolition experts watch as the home of Jeff Bush, 37, is destroyed Sunday, March 3, 2013, in Seffner, Fla. The 20-foot-wide opening of the sinkhole was almost covered by the house, and rescuers said there were no signs of life since the hole opened Thursday night. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Firefighters, family members, and friends pack some salvaged items as a home where a sinkhole opened up underneath a bedroom late Thursday evening and swallowed a man is demolished Sunday, March 3, 2013, in Seffner, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

SEFFNER, Florida -- Crews salvaged a few family keepsakes - a Bible,
some photos, a teddy bear - for
residents of a home that is being demolished after a huge sinkhole
swallowed a man in his bedroom three days ago, according to several
reports.

Demolition has stopped for the day, and only a few walls remain of
the suburban Tampa home. On Monday morning, crews will clear debris in
an
attempt to get a better view into the gaping sinkhole, the Associated
Press
reported.

Hillsborough County administrator Mike Merrill said demolition would
be slow and methodical because the home's stability continues to
be a concern, according to ABC News.

"We don't know, in fact, once we start touching the building
itself whether it will collapse or if parts of it will hold up," Merrill told
ABC.

Jeff Bush, 37, was in his bedroom late Thursday when the massive
sinkhole opened, consuming him and everything in his room.

Jeremy jumped into the hole in an attempt to rescue his brother and
had to be rescued by a sheriff's deputy.

This morning, Jeremy and several of his relatives prayed with a pastor as the home was demolished.

According to the Associated Press, the Hillsborough County
Sheriff's Office is conducting an investigation. Detective Larry McKinnon said
that sheriff's office and the county medical examiner cannot declare Bush dead
if his body is still missing.

"Based
on the circumstances, he's presumed dead, however the official death certificate
can only be issued by a judge and the family has to petition the court,"
McKinnon told the AP.

Five others escaped unharmed from the home in Seffner, about 15
miles east of downtown Tampa.

The cause remains unknown, but engineers have been monitoring the
area since Friday morning.

Each year, thousands of sinkholes appear in Florida, though rarely
are they fatal. The state is particularly susceptible to sinkholes because
of its geography, the Associated Press reported on Saturday.